ABSTRACT
Mastering is the last creative step before creating the final CD for CD duplication or replication, or creating the final song files for upload to the Web. The goal is a consistent sound from track to track, so that everything flows better and the album sounds unified. Duplication is making copies with a CD-R burner, while replication is stamping CDs from a glass master. Some digital audio workstation (DAW) software includes a CD-burning application. Duplication is the usual choice for CD quantities under 300. But for higher quantities, replication is the better choice. Musicians and record labels, more than recording engineers or mastering engineers, are requesting hotter levels on CDs. Some mastering programs can export the finished program to a DDP 2.00 fileset. When the CD is recorded, the software creates a start ID for each song based on the cue sheet. It is important to copyright original songs so that others cannot claim them as their own.
